Treating Nail Fungus • What To Do With Nail Fungus?

It is worth doing something about nail fungus early on. In the case of mild infestation, local treatment with an anti-fungal varnish may be sufficient in some cases to get the infection under control, in consultation with the doctor. In many cases, tablets are also required. Consistent foot care and hygiene can support drug therapy and counteract a flare-up of the nail fungus infection.

In the case of mild infection, local treatment is usually sufficient to get the nail fungus under control. It is important, however, that the patient stays on the ball, because successful treatment can take around a year.
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Overview: treatment options for nail fungus

Why therapy is so important

Nail fungus is a stubborn disease. It not only makes the affected regions look ugly, but also restricts the function of nails, toes and feet. The infection can also have serious consequences: Small skin injuries, for example bacteria penetrate the skin. There they multiply and cause a wound rose requiring treatment with inflamed skin, high fever and chills.

Treat nail fungus properly

Lifeline / Wochit

The consequences of a nail fungus are not always so dramatic. However, for many people affected life quality severely impaired. The thickened, cracked nails cause symptoms such as pain when walking, the fungal infection leads to annoying tingling, burning or numbness. In addition, if it is not treated, nail fungus can infect others – at home in the family, during sports, in the swimming pool or in the hotel.

The treatment of nail fungus requires a lot of patience, the healing does not take place overnight. On the contrary: The successful nail fungus therapy can take up to a year.

Removal of the infected nail

A surgical nail extraction – that is the technical term for nail removal – is today no longer recommended, This procedure is not only painful, but there is also a risk of injuring the nail bed and causing permanent nail growth disorders. In addition, such an intervention usually caused a few days of inability to work.

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One method that is used more frequently today is the so-called atraumatic nail extraction, that is, removal of the destroyed nail parts without injury or damage to the tissue. The affected nails are coated with an active ointment or cream and covered with a plaster. After about a week or two, the diseased nail parts are softened and can be removed. Afterwards, however, it is essential to continue treatment, otherwise there is a risk that the healthy nail will be attacked again by the fungus.

Detect nail fungus

Depending on the extent of the infection, local therapy is then started or treatment with tablets is considered. Both approaches are often combined. Consistent and sufficiently long use of the appropriate medication is important for the success of the healing. If handled negligently, there is a risk that pathogens survive and the fungus spreads again.

Local treatment with anti-fungal varnish

If the nail fungus is discovered early and has not yet spread widely, treatment is relatively uncomplicated: local treatment with medical nail polish can then be sufficient in some cases. With regular use, the whole nail and the nail bed are saturated with the active ingredient over time and the fungus is effectively combated. Please note that nail changes should always be examined by a doctor to ensure optimal therapy.

The local nail fungus therapy can be considered if

  • only a small part of the nail plate is fungal,
  • the nail root or matrix is ​​not infected by the fungus and
  • no more than three fingernails or toenails are affected.

How does local nail fungus therapy work?

For the local nail fungus treatment special medical coatings are available. A distinction is made between

  • water-soluble Anti-fungal paints and
  • Waterproofing Nail polishes against nail fungus, which are similar to cosmetic varnishes in handling.

While most waterproof paints For nail fungus treatment, the nails must be filed thinly and solvents such as nail polish remover are used to remove them water-soluble anti-fungal nail polishes a little easier to use: the base coat of varnish means that filing the nails and using nail polish remover is no longer necessary.

Anti-fungal varnish: advice in the pharmacy

Anti-fungal nail varnishes are available without a prescription in the pharmacy, where trained employees advise you on the selection of the right varnish. If nail fungus is suspected, a doctor should always be consulted first. He can diagnose the fungus without a doubt – or determine whether another disease is responsible for the nail changes.

When are tablets against nail fungus necessary?

If the nail fungus has spread further, the doctor usually prescribes tablets in addition to the local treatment that fight the fungal infection from the inside. Because the active ingredient gets into the bloodstream, it is more likely to cause side effects than drugs that are used locally. Modern oral preparations are far fewer side effects than a few years ago, and they can now be dosed very individually.

The nail fungus treatment with tablets is given either as a daily dose or shock therapy. At the same time as taking the tablets, the doctor in charge must monitor the liver's blood values. Side effects such as temporary loss of taste are also possible.

How does laser work against nail fungus?

Laser therapy against nail fungus is also available as an individual health service (IGeL). The laser beam penetrates the infected nail and inactivates it fungal growthwithout damaging the nail structure or the surrounding tissue. However, the fungal spores are resistant to the heat. This treatment, which health insurance patients have to pay out of their own pocket, is not sufficiently documented and ineffective against the stubborn fungal spores, explains Lifeline expert and dermatologist Dr. Oliver Mainusch.

Some of his colleagues are in favor of receiving the laser therapy in the guidelines for nail fungus treatment. However, this should be seen above all as legal protection for the doctors who use laser treatment, says Mainusch: "If it were anchored in the guidelines, the question would be: If laser therapy is in the guidelines, why is it not going to be a health insurance?"

PACT: Red light against nail fungus only moderately effective

The same applies to the irradiation with red light, the so-called PACT (Photodynamic antimicrobial therapy). "It can only be used to combat visible nail fungus structures," says the specialist. No well-known nail fungus experts were involved in studies on the benefits of the therapy. "The PACT primarily helps the doctors treating it because, like laser therapy, it is a self-paying service," explains Dr. Oliver Mainusch.

Home remedies for nail fungus? Better not!

Of Home remedies for nail fungus the dermatologist advises against. With Alcohol, tea tree oil or urine can not fight nail fungus effectively. On the contrary: Such experiments often cause allergic reactions and irritation, the skin is stressed, so that the "cure" is stopped again after a short time. In order to really get rid of the fungal infection, special antifungal agents are necessary, which must be used until the nail fungus infection has completely subsided.

Nail fungus therapy: what you can do yourself

During treatment with anti-fungal varnish and / or tablets, you should also ensure good ventilation of the feet and nails.

The mushroom feels most comfortable in a warm, humid climate. In addition to the treatment, you should therefore ensure that the Feet are always dry if possible, After bathing or showering, the feet and toe spaces are dried well.

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Also To run barefoot and open shoes (sandals, flip-flops) in summer are suitable for drying out the nail fungus. Socks made from natural materials should be preferred to stockings made from synthetic fibers. Because cotton can be washed at 90 degrees – certain death for the fungus. A wash cycle at 60 degrees is enough.

Shoes, stockings and socks that cannot withstand higher washing temperatures can be disinfected regularly with special solutions. And not only during the treatment of nail fungus, but also for some time afterwards, because otherwise unscathed fungal spores can easily lead to a new infection.

In the apartment, however, one should during and after the treatment of nail fungus do not walk barefootin order not to infect other family members. Despite thorough cleaning, fungal spores can also stick to the carpets of hotel rooms or holiday apartments – so wear socks instead!

For more tips on foot hygiene for nail fungus and how to prevent a new infection, read our checklist for prevention.

These tips should even after the nail fungus has healed further attention to prevent the recurrence of the disease. This is especially true for patients who keep getting infected easily with fungi or who come into contact with fungal pathogens frequently, for example swimmers or soccer players.